10 Fun Things To Do in Copenhagen With Kids Other Than Tivoli

Tivoli is most likely to be top of everyone’s list when visiting Copenhagen with kids, but once you’ve visited you may be looking for other things to do. Check out our list of 10 fun things to do in Copenhagen with kids other than Tivoli.

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Things To Do in Copenhagen

We just spent a week with our kids in Copenhagen and had a great time. It’s a very family-friendly city and the good news is that entry to many attractions is free for under 15s, which helps keep the cost down too. Here’s my list of fun things to do in Copenhagen with kids:

#1. See An Iron Age Woman in Her Cloak

The National Museum is well worth a visit. It has a good collection and is a nice museum to wander in.It even has its own Children’s Museum wing where under 10s can dress up, climb on a knight’s horse and more.

We enjoyed the Iron Age and other early sections where you can see the amazing Sun Chariot made of gold, stones with Viking runes, and an Iron Age woman still in her cloak.

Adult tickets are cheaper if accompanied by a child, and there’s a café for light lunches and refreshments.

#2. Spot a Picasso at SMK

Statens Museum for Kunst, or SMK, is the national art gallery with an extensive Danish art collection, but also good French and other international art including pictures by Picasso and Rembrandt.

Your kids could try their hand at the kids workshops (book online or at the ticket desk), or why not take one of the guided tours in English? Afterwards you can cross the road to visit the Botanic Gardens.

#3. See a Royal Toilet and the Crown Jewels

You can either take a tour or wander through the apartments yourself (be sure to look out for the Royal Toilet Seat). Many exhibits have codes on them that you can scan in on your smartphone for more info too.

For a bit of Royal bling, finish your visit at the Treasury to see the Danish Crown Jewels before enjoying the gardens which are a lovely spot for a picnic.

#4. Find Copenhagen’s Most Famous Resident Statue

Head to Kastellen, the star-shaped fortress with fountains and walkways leading to the most famous statue and landmark in Copenhagen: The Little Mermaid.

If you’re lucky you’ll manage to get a photo of her without too many tourists in it. We found the area pleasant to walk through and there were places to grab an ice cream too.

You can walk back then along the waterside to Nyhavn, the departure point for boat tours (see next suggestion).

#5. See Copenhagen From the Water

Canal and harbour boat tours leave from Nyhavn, a pretty stretch of canal with different coloured buildings, and typically last an hour.

This is a great way to see lots of sights and the tour guide will tell you a little about each key building or sight that you pass.

There are public toilets (these are fantastically spotless and the best public toilets I have ever seen!) at Nyhavn so go before you get on the boat tour.

Tip: Take the Netto boat tour as it is half the price of the other one!

#6. Visit The LEGO Store on Strøget

Strøget is the main pedestrianised shopping street (consisting of a few streets joined together) where you will find the LEGO Store amongst numerous other shops.

Be warned, it is super busy usually but kids can play with LEGO in different parts of the store, get their picture taken with life sized LEGO models and, of course, buy some of the world famous toys!

#7. Eat a Snail at Christianshavn

I didn’t mean a real snail, but a ‘kanelsnegle’ or snail-shaped cinnamon bun from Lagkagehuset which are said by some to be the best in town.

We wandered through the streets of Christianshavn along the canal. You can also visit the free town area of Christiania nearby if you are curious, but personally I found it a bit grungy and not that child-friendly.

There’s more fun to be had hopping over to Paper Island where you will find Copenhagen Street Food, a huge assortment of street food stalls and plenty of benches indoors and out. And if you are extra lucky you might even get a free deckchair to sit and enjoy your food along with the view.

Did you know that in Denmark, what we call Danish pastries are called Wienerbrød (Viennese breads)?

#8. Paddle a Swan on a Lake

Copenhagen has four man-made lakes in the city centre with walking and cycle paths along the sides of the lakes. You can rent either a Swan boat (suitable for 3 people) or a larger paddle boat for 30-60 minutes to enjoy the middle lake. Buy the tickets at the café across the road if there’s a big queue at the boat kiosk.

Afterwards walk up to the Queen Louise’s Bridge or Dronning Louise’s Bro where you will find benches where people hang out and meet friends, very unusual for a main crossing bridge in a city!

#9. Wander Around Sculptures at Louisiana

Even if modern art isn’t quite your cup of tea, you will still find plenty to enjoy here and it’s very child-friendly. When we visited there was an exhibition of early Picasso sketches and a photography exhibit of items from Elizabeth Taylor’s house.

Take the train heading to Helsingør from Copenhagen Central Station and get off at Humblaek. It’s a ten minute walk (all signposted, but follow the other people heading there). There are four different wings with modern art, then a fabulous garden filled with sculptures which you can wander around. The terrace café overlooks the sea with fantastic views.

Tip: We bought the Turist day ticket which lasts 24 hours and covers all train, bus and metro. We also combined our visit to Louisiana with a visit to Helsingør and Hamlet’s Castle (see next item) and made it a full day out.

#10. See where Hamlet Was Set at Kronborg Castle

Kronborg Slot in Helsingør (Elsinore) is a striking castle by the sea, built originally by Frederik II for his bride Sophie. It became the setting for one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, and is a world Unesco Heritage Site to boot.

We enjoyed live performances of Hamlet during our visit to celebrate Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary, but even without the live acting it’s a fun castle to visit with turrets and dark casements to explore.

You can see Sweden just across the water from the castle and town, Helsingør, which is busy with ferries going between the two countries. It is a nice town too with plenty of shops, cafés and restaurants.

Have you visited Copenhagen? Share your travel tips and experiences in the comments below – we’d love to hear from you!